Ometepe

Isla de Ometepe's name is derived from the Nahuatl words ome (two) and tepetl (mountain), meaning two mountains. An island in Lake Nicaragua in the country of Nicaragua, Ometepe is one of the country´s must-see. These twin volcanic islands are a remote escape located in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua. There are only a few small settlements on the island, along with a number of small coffee plantations.

• Moyogalpa. harbor village and the main point of arrival of ferries around Volcano Concepcion.
• Altagracia. second biggest town on the eastern side of the island around Volcano Concepcion. Administrative capital of the Maderas side as well.
• Merida. southeastern coast of the island around Volcano Maderas.
• Balgue. southwestern coast of the island Around Volcano Maderas.

Moyogalpa. harbor village and the main point of arrival of ferries around Volcano Concepcion.

Altagracia. second biggest town on the eastern side of the island around Volcano Concepcion. Administrative capital of the Maderas side as well.

Merida. southeastern coast of the island around Volcano Maderas.

Balgue. southwestern coast of the island Around Volcano Maderas.

• Reserva Charco Verde, a nature reserve with abundant wildlife on the southern part of the island, where you can swim, hike and kayak.
• Santo Domingo Beach, the only sand beach easily accessible on the eastern side of the island. During the rainy season, the lake rises and the beach can disappear for several months.
• San Ramon Waterfall, natural fresh waterfall inland that is easily accessible by trail via a 3 hour hike.
• El Ceibo museum, a privately owned collection of pre-Columbian artifacts discovered on an old tobacco plantation on the island. The museum includes the country's largest currency collection at the time of April 2012.
• Punta Jesus Maria a beach on the Concepcion side of the island best accessed by bike. In the dry season a long sandy headland stretches out into the lake. During the rainy season it is mostly covered with water. Popular with locals as well
• Playa Santo Domingo.

Reserva Charco Verde, a nature reserve with abundant wildlife on the southern part of the island, where you can swim, hike and kayak.

Santo Domingo Beach, the only sand beach easily accessible on the eastern side of the island. During the rainy season, the lake rises and the beach can disappear for several months.

San Ramon Waterfall, natural fresh waterfall inland that is easily accessible by trail via a 3 hour hike.

El Ceibo museum, a privately owned collection of pre-Columbian artifacts discovered on an old tobacco plantation on the island. The museum includes the country's largest currency collection at the time of April 2012.

Punta Jesus Maria a beach on the Concepcion side of the island best accessed by bike. In the dry season a long sandy headland stretches out into the lake. During the rainy season it is mostly covered with water. Popular with locals as well

Playa Santo Domingo.

One of its volcanoes active (Concepcion) one of them dormant (Maderas) Ometepe is a sight to behold already when coming in by ferry. Inhabitants like to call the island "oasis of peace" as it has been left largely unscathed by the violent conflicts of Nicaragua's younger history and lying at one of the black volcanic beaches or listening to howler monkeys during the strenuous ascent up one of the two volcanoes you might very well feel peaceful and forget whatever may exist outside this oasis. While it is definitely not a party destination there is hardly anything else you can't do on the island and even though it is not the well kept secret it once was the tourists quickly spread out over the island once you leave the ferry leaving the island mostly to you and your plans.

Views of the volcanoes as well as sunsets are worth taking a picture or three dozen.

• There's an island museum in Altagracia with texts mostly in Spanish; good option to kill time waiting for the ferry if nothing else

Options on the island include :

• Hike to the top of Volcan Concepcion (~ 8 hours return, strenuous, guide mandatory)
• Hike to the 1000m look-out point of Volcan Concepcion (~ 6 hours return, moderate, guide mandatory)
• Hike to the top of Volcan Maderas to a crater lake (~ 6 hours return, less strenuous)
• Hike to 80-m San Ramon waterfall on the south side of Maderas (several hours return from Merida)
• See petroglyphs at the village of Finca El Porvenir
• Go horseback riding
• Rent a bicycle and explore the island on your own (actually one of the fastest and most comfortable ways around the island as most things out of cities are not walkable for anybody but Marathon runners, and buses and taxis are slow and seldom to be found)
• Rent a motorbike and explore the island on your own
• Go fishing
• Hike the trails from the park entrance center on the road from Altagracia (just before you enter Santa Cruz)
• Hire a kayak and explore the lake and one or two of the rivers. Be aware of the strong western wind (trade wind) and concomitant waves, which are likely to be encountered everywhere outside of the sheltered areas (such as the western side of Maderas, around Mérida, sheltered by the volcano's cone).
• Go swimming in the fresh water
• Trails are generally unmarked and the terrain is rough. Local guides are inexpensive, good.
• If off hiking on your own be aware that many trails are actually being used by locals as a means to work their bean fields,The same beans that are served in the local staple of beans and rice, These beans are of a low growing variety and are barely visibly so please stay on trails so as not to damage their crops.
• The island is very large and to go by bicycle around one volcano in one day is very challenging but possible, getting around both volcanoes by motorbike in one day is a little easier but still difficult.

• Little Morgan´s, Between Santa Cruz & Balgue (300m towards Balgue from Santa Cruz junction, +505 8611 7973. Accommodation, bar and restaurant serving great food that gives a nice break from the typical rice and beans. Daily menu includes bacon and eggs, pancakes, cake, and sandwiches, and then nightly dinner specials including lasagna, curry, pasta and stir-fry. Food ranges from US$2-$6.
• Hostal Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz (On the Merida side of the fork in the road between Merida and Belgue. Hostal Santa Cruz has an extensive menu of both Western and local food. A busier (but still quiet) hostel, there's always other folks to meet, and occasionally a game on TV. Vegetarian options available, and lots of alcohol - but know that the 1L beers here are nearly double the price than at the bar along the beach. US$4-8.
• Restaurante Pescaditos, Merida (On the main road by the entrance to Hacienda Mérida and Rancho Mérida. Pescaditos is a small, family run affair serving local food. They serve breakfast, have an extensive lunch/dinner menu, with numerous vegetarian options (including soy meat when available!). Usually very empty, but the food is excellent. A great alternative to the limited options at Hacienda Merida. The sign at the restaurant also mention bicycle rental and hospedaje (accommodation) US$3-5.

Little Morgan´s, Between Santa Cruz & Balgue (300m towards Balgue from Santa Cruz junction, +505 8611 7973. Accommodation, bar and restaurant serving great food that gives a nice break from the typical rice and beans. Daily menu includes bacon and eggs, pancakes, cake, and sandwiches, and then nightly dinner specials including lasagna, curry, pasta and stir-fry. Food ranges from US$2-$6.

Hostal Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz (On the Merida side of the fork in the road between Merida and Belgue. Hostal Santa Cruz has an extensive menu of both Western and local food. A busier (but still quiet) hostel, there's always other folks to meet, and occasionally a game on TV. Vegetarian options available, and lots of alcohol - but know that the 1L beers here are nearly double the price than at the bar along the beach. US$4-8.

Restaurante Pescaditos, Merida (On the main road by the entrance to Hacienda Mérida and Rancho Mérida. Pescaditos is a small, family run affair serving local food. They serve breakfast, have an extensive lunch/dinner menu, with numerous vegetarian options (including soy meat when available!). Usually very empty, but the food is excellent. A great alternative to the limited options at Hacienda Merida. The sign at the restaurant also mention bicycle rental and hospedaje (accommodation) US$3-5.

Outside of Moyogalpa and Altagracia, most of the island's villages only have tiny grocery stores (more like kiosks), often selling fairly strange assortments of things (e.g. shoes and bananas). While the locals grow all kinds of produce for their own needs, only a small fraction of it is offered for sale at shops and kiosks, as most families have their own produce and don't need to buy it for cash.

Two local products that you can enjoy with your picnic lunch are plantains (platanos; bigger and tastier than regular bananas; ripe when yellow) and passion fruit (which are more commonly known in Nicaragua as calala, rather than maracuya; great by themselves, or with ice cream). Platanos are also eaten deep fried while still green. In that case their taste is similar to fries. Some other fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and oranges, are also commonly available. Tasty mangoes are grown in the island too (e.g., Mérida's main street is lined with majestic mango trees; you can see residents obtaining some fruit by hurling stones at them), but are rarely sold; the same is the case with the star fruit (carambola). Small tasty lemons and tamarind fruits can often be found scattered under the trees on your hotel or campground property.

Grocery stores usually have fairly fresh bread of several kinds (apparently shipped by truck on a ferry from the mainland daily), cookies, as well as cheese (queso or cuajada), which resembles rather oversalted feta cheese. (While there is often a fridge in the store, most shoppers would not have a fridge at home, and salt serves as a preservative). Cheese that is more akin to North American or European variants is known as "queso amarillo" (yellow cheese) and surprisingly hard to get on the island.

• Little Morgan´s, Santa Cruz (300m towards Balgue past Santa Cruz junction, +505 8611 7973. The only place around with a pool table and cable TV. Beautiful surroundings with fun atmosphere at night. Beer, wine and spirits available from US$2-$3.
• Margarita´s, Merida (About 3 minutes past Hacienda Merida on the main road as you walk out of town. A small bar with a similarly small drink list, Margarita's does have a TV and pool table, and fills the rum-vacuum that Hacienda Merida's restaurant fails to fill.

Little Morgan´s, Santa Cruz (300m towards Balgue past Santa Cruz junction, +505 8611 7973. The only place around with a pool table and cable TV. Beautiful surroundings with fun atmosphere at night. Beer, wine and spirits available from US$2-$3.

Margarita´s, Merida (About 3 minutes past Hacienda Merida on the main road as you walk out of town. A small bar with a similarly small drink list, Margarita's does have a TV and pool table, and fills the rum-vacuum that Hacienda Merida's restaurant fails to fill.

• The trails are not marked so if you don't know the island, it is best to hire a guide. They are usually cheap and can give you so much help. Many people have gotten lost climbing the volcanoes and the trails are small. There are no services and help is hard to come by when climbing one of the mountains, so bring what you need before hand.
• Thanks to the fact that it's an island which is kind of easy to check traffic of persons it is, in comparison to the rest of Nicaragua, pretty safe.
• Minor annoyance such as kids begging for money may happen, but in a day, many locals will greet you and are happy to help you.
• As in much of rural Central America, semi-feral dogs (or, if you wish, "free-range dogs") hang out around most tourist establishments. The property owners would neither kill them nor take charge of them in the European sense of the word (as in, keeping them indoors, in a fenced area, or on a chain). They rarely attack adult guests, and don't even bark much during the day; but if you eat outdoors, the dogs will congregate around you and watch you eat. Hotel owners advise guests not to feed these dogs; if you are camping, make sure to put your food supplies at a location not accessible to dogs (e.g., in a bag hanging from a tree).
• Some locals report that there is some danger when climbing the top of Concepcion because of the activity that exist in the top. It is important to take a guide and make sure that if you notice anything suspicious, get away.
• Climbing Concepcion without a guide is illegal. Make sure to bring plenty of water (more than 2 liters) if you climb it. Good shoes go without saying.

• San Jorge, Rivas and southwestern Nicaragua.
• San Carlos with the twice weekly ferry from Altagracia; from there you can go on exploring the Rio San Juan.
• San Juan del Sur - surfing paradise, easily accessible by bus

• San José (Costa_Rica) - the capital is a bus ride away from Rivas. Note that during the border crossing, it is common for a bus driver, to collect all passengers passports and handle immigration for you. This can be a little alarming to those unfamiliar with the border crossing.